Scotland's school attendance 'in crisis' after thousands of pupils miss lessons
Thousands of pupils in Scotland have not attended school at all in the last six years.
School attendance in Scotland has been branded “in crisis” after it was revealed more than 70,000 pupils have missed more than half of lessons since 2019.
New figures have also revealed that more than 6,000 pupils have not attended school at all in the past six years.
The Scottish Conservatives said the data, which was obtained through freedom of information requests to councils, was “deeply alarming” and claimed it indicated the SNP government’s “desperate failure in education”.
The figures showed that 73,184 pupils had an attendance rate of below 50 per cent, while a further 6,270 pupils had no attendance between 2019/20 and 2024/25.
The total is likely to be higher as some of the attendance data was incomplete.
However, the Scottish Government has insisted that attendance rates are improving and persistent absences are declining under the SNP’s leadership.
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “School attendance in Scotland is in crisis, and these figures show the truly shocking scale of the problem.
“It’s utterly unacceptable that so many pupils have missed at least half of their schooling – and truly terrifying that more than 6,000 have not attended school at all.
“This is yet another indicator of the SNP’s desperate failure in education.
“We know that the best place for most children to learn is in the classroom, so the fact that thousands are missing school is deeply alarming and risks long-term harm to their education and wellbeing.
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“The Scottish Conservatives are calling for urgent national action from SNP ministers to tackle persistent absence, support parents and pupils, and ensure that every child is in school and receiving the education they deserve.”
A new report, published in September, argued teachers should be allowed to suspend and exclude badly behaved pupils due to “an unthinking sense of entitlement” having swept through schools.
A new report by the Commission on School Reform said the Scottish Government needed to issue new guidance that allows teachers to sanction the most badly behaved pupils to “create order in schools”.
The report also claimed that the “serious and growing behavioural problem” in Scottish schools was “adversely” affecting all pupils’ ability to learn and was contributing to Scotland’s decline in international education standards.
The Commission on School Reform document highlights the association between these falling standards, poor attendance and poor behaviour.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is hugely encouraging that the latest official statistics show the improvement in attendance and a fall in absences, including a noticeable reduction in persistent absence levels, which reflects the efforts of schools in responding to challenges since the pandemic.
“Any form of term-time absence disrupts learning and can impact attainment.
“It is therefore vitally important that parents and carers ensure that children attend school and should only arrange family holidays during the holiday period.
“National guidance is clear that education authorities and schools should engage with children, young people and families to support improved attendance and reduce absence, through understanding underlying concerns.”
The government said work to refresh national attendance guidance is ongoing with Education Scotland and councils.
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